Our Beginnings: Alpha Tau Delta

Alpha Tau Delta Fraternity was founded on February 18, 1965 at Louisiana State University for the expressed purpose of affiliation with Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. Recognizing the reality that Alpha Tau Delta might become a vehicle for other Delt chapters, the local fraternity named itself the Alpha Chapter of Alpha Tau Delta. On April 2, 1966 Alpha Tau Delta realized its goal of being established as Epsilon Kappa Chapter of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity.

The Beta Chapter of Alpha Tau Delta originated May 5, 1967 at Southeastern Louisiana University when Thomas Sharp, an alumnus of Epsilon Kappa initiated five men into Alpha Tau Delta. Tom’s brother Michael Sharp, a Southeastern student, banded together a “nucleus group” consisting of himself, Robert A. Pollock, John W. Gautier and the late Stephen C. Sledge and Lee Davis Simpson. Lee was stricken with cancer and passed on before the fraternity could become a full chapter of Delta Tau Delta. It is indeed fitting that the chapter should memorialize his memory with the annual presentation of the Lee Davis Simpson Memorial Award to the undergraduate member who best exemplifies the attributes of our deceased brother.

The Beta Chapter grew quickly from this strong “nucleus group”. University recognition was established within the same month of the fraternity’s establishment. In that same semester the fraternity maintained the highest scholastic average among campus fraternities.

Throughout the next year the chapter continued to strengthen its programs and membership, and by the spring of 1968 a need for a house was apparent. Under the guidance of Henry Mentz and Wiley Sharp, two local Delt alumni, a house was acquired and remodeled extensively.

In the fall of 1968, the chapter was granted colony status by the Arch Chapter of Delta Tau Delta. Under this new impetus, the colony grew bigger and by February of 1969 the necessary criteria had been met and approval for a charter was granted. On April 12, 1969, Epsilon Phi Chapter of Delta Tau Delta was established at Southeastern Louisiana University.

Our Realization: Epsilon Phi Chapter of Delta Tau Delta

Epsilon Phi became the third Delt chapter in Louisiana. The fall of 1969 was the chapter’s first formal rush period as a full chapter. The new chapter captured the football trophy and then took first place honors in the Homecoming Parade. Needless to say the Delts were also first in scholarship again. That spring semester, the Delts were eager for more trophies. The chapter went on to take third place in track, second in basketball and third in baseball. That was more than enough to be awarded the campus All Sports Trophy.

In the early 1970’s Epsilon Phi worked hard to bring together all facets of its chapter operations. There was, however, the usual struggle with finances and rush. The brothers had established a steady success rate in the areas of scholarship and athletics on the Southeastern campus. Membership increased and a need for a larger meeting area became a priority. In 1974, a downstairs addition to the Shelter was made possible through alumni contributions and a loan from the fraternity. It provided the chapter with extra meeting space and a larger kitchen, which allowed for a weekly meal to be prepared by the Little Sisters. At weekly get-togethers actives and pledges were able to spend more time with one another and strengthen the bonds of brotherhood. In 1973 Paul LeBlanc, President of Epsilon Phi, set forth on a mission to have the chapter recognized as one of the finest in Delta Tau Delta. His mission was successful, as epsilon Phi earned its first Hugh Shields Award for chapter excellence at the Southern Division Conference. As a part of Paul’s commitment to excellence, Epsilon Phi established a strong hold on first place in the Miller Brewing Company’s aluminum recycling program.

The chapter worked steadily to keep its momentum and, as the end of the 1970’s approached, the chapter reviewed its accomplishments. Nine straight Delt Day trophies headed an impressive list. The trophy was awarded to the Louisiana Delt chapter winning the most points at an annual day of competition. Epsilon Phi found itself at the forefront of the Greek system at Southeastern. The hard work continued into the 1980’s. Another Hugh Shields award was bestowed upon the chapter in 1981. Epsilon Phi created the Charity Bowl, a football game between Greeks and non-Greeks to raise money for a local charity. Through the next few years E Phi increased its ever-present commitment to community service by raising thousands of dollars for various charities. In the late 1980’s we implemented a new philanthropic endeavor, Adopt-a-School, whereby our members provided tutoring services for a local elementary school. We were obviously not alone in our belief that this was a worthwhile cause because in the mid 1990’s the International Fraternity chose Adopt-a-School as its world wide philanthropy.

During the 1980’s we won campus-wide awards for academics, service and athletics. Our chapter won the award for Outstanding Student Organization and several of our members took home the award for Outstanding Male Greek. As the decade came to a close, it was obvious that the dedication and commitment of the members during the formative years of Epsilon Phi had created an incredible foundation for its newer members. By the end of the decade Epsilon Phi had won a total of ten Hugh Shields awards, allowing us to retire two flags.

As the 1990’s were ushered in Epsilon Phi encountered a period of adjustment familiar to many in the Greek system here and around the nation. Because of an incident of hazing in the fall of 1991 the chapter was placed under an Alumni Supervisory Review. Despite the best efforts of a core group of dedicated members, problems increased until the summer when several members were placed on suspension. This action, taken by an Alumni Supervisory Committee, resulted in all but a handful of the members of the chapter resigning.

Faced with its greatest challenge in its nearly twenty-five year history, the members of Epsilon Phi set out on a mission to rebuild the chapter from the ground floor. The road was not easy. That file, while other fraternities were pledging moderate sized classes, Epsilon Phi took in only six new members. The following spring there were no new pledges. Many felt as though Epsilon Phi was doomed. Its members knew better however. With help from alumni and the International Fraternity the Chapter was saved and by the fall of 1994 Epsilon Phi was proving itself once more, with a new pledge class of seventeen men. During these critical years Epsilon Phi was also challenged with the responsibility of adapting to a different kind of Greek world. As the issues of risk management have arisen, the Greek community has had to address the need of increased social responsibility. Concerns about date rape, alcohol abuse and hazing have become quite significant in the past ten years. Not surprisingly, Epsilon Phi has been a leader on Southeastern’s campus in dealing with these issues. The elimination of hazing has allowed us to focus our creativity on enriching brotherhood by means other than physical or mental intimidation of our pledges. We have responded to this challenge and become more focused on the importance of pledgeship, to be trained to be the best actives possible.